Blagojevich jury taking a break

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's first corruption trial ended in August 2010, with the jury deadlocking on 23 of 24 counts. He was convicted of one count, lying to the FBI. He was found guilty of 17 of the 20 counts in his retrial, including allegations he tried to sell President Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat.

Staff report

The federal jurors in former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s retrial won't reach a verdict today. That's because they are taking the day off.

It's the second three-day weekend for the jury, which completed its ninth day of deliberations Thursday.

There has been no indication if the jury is deadlocked or simply being meticulous.

Meanwhile, the judge presiding over the trial has barred Blagojevich’s legal team from speaking to the news media while the jury deliberates, according to a source familiar with the decision. It was unclear what exactly prompted the ruling by U.S. District Judge James Zagel because the gag order has not been made public.

The gag order came last week after the start of deliberations and a number of media appearances by lawyers for Blagojevich, including Sam Adam Jr., who wasn’t in court for the retrial but remains an attorney of record in the case. A day after Adam made a lengthy appearance on a live WFLD-Ch. 32 show, federal prosecutors made a sealed filing in court, according to records.

The jury, which is deliberating at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, hasn’t been heard from since last week when it sent a note to the judge with a question about wire fraud charges, which comprise half of the 20-count indictment against Blagojevich.

Jurors at Blagojevich’s first trial last summer took 14 days before returning a guilty verdict on one count of lying to the FBI and deadlocking on the 23 other counts, setting the stage for the retrial.